Not Ideal Company
by peacefulsands
Summary: Alec and Logan find themselves stuck in a holiday cabin with no one else to distract them or keep them from winding each other up.


**Title** : Not Ideal Company

**Author** : peaceful_sands

**Fandom** : Dark Angel

**Characters** : Alec and Logan

**Rating** : PG-13

**Word Count** : approx. 4500 words

**Prompt** : _Dark Angel, Alec & Logan, Everyone else had to bail on the vacation at the last minute, leaving the two boys to either work out their differences or die of boredom._

**Disclaimer : **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong><span>Not Ideal Company<span>**

Alec wandered aimlessly through the rooms again, looking for something, anything to make this whole thing seem . . . worthwhile. He passed Logan on his way and glared at him where he sat placidly poking at the keys on his phone.

"Any news?" Alec asked, just to break the silence.

"None," Logan answered.

Alec sighed and moved away to check out the kitchen, wondering again why he let himself be talked into this at all. He opened the cupboards to check out the contents, almost nothing in there and they hadn't brought much with them. The supplies had been split between the two bikes. This was so not the week he had in mind. Why had he agreed when Max suggested it?

He wandered back into the room where Logan was still sitting and flopped down into a chair. "What do we do?" he asked plaintively.

"About what?" Logan sounded confused. "I'm sure they'll get here . . . eventually."

"Yeah, 'kay." Alex frowned, then added, "But what do we do?"

"We relax, chill, enjoy one another's company . . ."

"Oh." There was silence for a while. "For the whole week?"

Logan raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, I'm sure you had something in mind to pass the time with Asha, but until they get here, yes that's all you're getting."

Alex gave a look of disgust, then sighed. "I'm hungry and what we brought doesn't really constitute food. I'm gonna run down the hill to the store and get something. You want anything?"

"Yeah, I guess we should pick up stuff in case they don't get here tonight. We're bound to use it up before we leave anyway. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I can manage. It's easier to carry it back without you on the bike too." He pulled his jacket back on from where he'd thrown it over a chair, collecting his keys before adding, "It's probably better if you do wait here in case they turn up anyway. If you think of anything, let me know."

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><p>Alec was down in the town when his phone rang. He'd parked the bike and was walking back to it from the grocery store, so he stopped, moved to the edge of the sidewalk out of the way of the other passers-by and pulled it from his pocket to answer. It wasn't Logan as he'd expected, but Max.<p>

"Maxie! Where ya been, girl? Did you find your way up to Logan alright? You want me to pick anything else up for you and Asha while I'm in town?" he greeted.

"Alex, where have you two been? We've been trying to get through to you for ages, once we knew for sure."

"Knew what for sure?" The doubt creeping into his voice was clear.

"The bike, my bike broke down. We tried to get it fixed but they don't have the parts they need. It's going to take a few days and by then what with the cost of gas and everything, I don't know that it's worth Asha and I coming up to join you two."

"You're leaving me here with Logan? Max . . . Max! You can't think that's a good idea?" He was stunned, couldn't believe that everything that was planned was falling apart and he was going to be left for the better part of a week with Logan of all people. No, it was simple; he'd go back up to the house, they'd pack up and in the morning they could head back to Seattle. That was the answer . . . plain and simple and no need to argue. "Okay, we'll head out tomorrow and be back by evening."

"You don't need to do that, Alec. The house is paid for so the two of you should just relax and enjoy it."

Alec didn't bother to answer that with anything more than a snort of disgust before he flipped his phone shut and headed back to the bike ready to go up and tell Logan what had happened and what the new plan was. He hitched his backpack over both shoulders and gunned the engine, roaring off to the turning to head up the hill to the house they'd rented.

* * *

><p>The door banged back as Alec stomped in, irritation still clear. "So I suppose you've heard the news," he said as Logan looked up from the book he was reading beside the fireplace.<p>

"What news?"

"Max? Asha?" At Logan's blank look, he said, "What they didn't call you? Huh . . . Mind you, Maxie did say something about trying to get through for ages. . ."

Logan reached into his pocket for his cell phone, looking down at the display which clearly showed no signal. He sighed, "No signal. I didn't notice that before. What about you?"

Alec took a quick look at his own cell and saw that it too was now without a signal. "Great!" he said. "Anyway, she called while I was in town. They're not coming. Something about her bike breaking down and needing a new part, but they can't get it for a few days, so they're not going to bother coming even when it's fixed."

"Oh," Logan sounded disappointed although it was beyond Alec why that should be. It wasn't like he was going to be getting any with Max and the whole virus thing. Speaking personally that had been his prime goal for the trip, convincing Asha that she wanted to be with him. They'd skirted round and round each other for long enough. Alec figured if he played his cards right, he could move them along a little.

"Yeah, sucks I know, but anyway, I figure we could head back in the morning."

Logan didn't look happy with the situation but he nodded and when Alec said he was going to make something to eat, he offered to help. "I got it," Alec said. "Trust me."

Once they'd eaten and with nothing better to do for the evening, Alec browsed along the bookshelf for something to read. He picked one book off, examined the front cover before flipping it over to read the blurb. Logan looked up and watched as he frowned and returned the book to its place before picking up another and repeating the process.

Alec was on about the fourth book when his facial expression changed to one of curiosity and instead of returning the book to its space on the shelf, he crossed the room and sat down in the armchair he'd been in earlier. Logan was fascinated as Alec drew his long legs up and curled up with the book as if he was settling in for the evening. He hadn't failed to notice that it was one of the thinner books on the shelf that Alec chose and thought that was probably all he could expect of someone with Alec's typical flighty temperament.

The room was quiet as the light outside dimmed, the only sound that of intermittent turning pages as the two men read silently. A little over an hour later, Alec stood up and stretched before returning to the bookshelf.

"Finished your comic book?" Logan asked, regretting his words when Alec turned a puzzled expression his way.

"I wasn't reading a comic book," he said. "Why?"

Logan was struck again with how different Alec was. The intended slight had been unnecessary, Alec might have been an ass at times, but now wasn't one of them and to be fair, comic books were a popular choice with people Alec's age. Logan could imagine Sketchy and many of the other Jam Pony Messengers enjoying them; it wasn't really fair of him to imply that there was anything wrong with Alec reading them.

"Doesn't matter. It was . . . Wasn't the book any good?" Logan figured he should try to make amends, make more of an effort to be friendly.

"I finished it. It was only short, but . . . it sounded interesting." Alec looked as if he was still thinking over what he'd just read. "Logan . . ." he paused as if reconsidering what he was about to say. He shrugged and started to turn away.

"What were you going to say?" Logan urged.

"You'll – You'll think I'm stupid," Alec wouldn't meet his eyes and for the first time Logan began to wonder how much really went on behind the mask. "I was just going to ask what it was like Outside, you know, before the Pulse?"

The question was a surprise, not at all what Logan had thought. "Before the Pulse? Well, I guess, it was easier, you know. Communications were more available, power was more available . . . there weren't so many shortages in food, housing, gas. People had jobs, there weren't any sector police."

"Huh!" Alec's head tilted slightly to one side as if trying to line up his thinking and make sense of it.

"Why do you ask? What was it you read?"

"Anthem . . . by someone called Ayn Rand. Was it like that then before?"

"No. Not really, well not at all but I guess it was what she thought the world was going to be like."

Alec frowned a little as if not quite understanding but not being sure what to ask. "She wrote the book way back in the twentieth century, just before this really big war that . . ."

"Nazi Germany in Europe, Hitler and also the Sino-Japanese war and there were others." Logan was surprised when Alec began to rattle off more details of the wars that had ravaged various parts of the world at the time. "It – it didn't really mean anything to me though . . . They were just facts, military maneuvers to be analysed and evaluated, why they succeeded, where they failed. But the book . . . How . . . how did she imagine that?"

"She'd grown up in Russia," Logan began. As the evening progressed, the two of them discussed the various implications of socialist societies and collectivism. Logan found Alec's insights fascinating, amazed at the thought behind the younger man's words and when he yawned, the two of them were both stunned to discover how much time had passed and how late it was, the time already well past midnight.

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><p>Logan woke late in the morning, still yawning as he made his way from his room to the kitchen. Alec was sitting at the table reading another book. He looked up as Logan came in. "Umm, I made breakfast. Yours is keeping warm. It wasn't that long ago. I figured we were up kind of late so . . . you might wanna sleep in."<p>

"Thanks. It's nice of you. So what time are we hitting the road?"

"Have you looked out of the window yet this morning?" Alec asked in disbelief.

"Er, no. Why? Should I?" Logan moved across to the window. "Wow, how did I miss that rain?"

There was a constant drizzle falling but it had clearly been heavier earlier in the morning, judging by the mud lying thick and slick on the ground and the debris strewn to the side of running torrents of water heading downhill. "I don't like our chances out in that. I guess we're stuck. We'll have to think again later."

"Hey, there's no rush. Leave it until tomorrow, give them time to clear the roads further downhill. We've got the house anyway."

Alec nodded, Logan's suggestion made sense. He stood up to make himself another coffee. "Guess it's a good thing the coffee was with us," he said. He watched as Logan got his breakfast from in the oven and took it across to the table. "I – I'll leave you in peace," he said, picking up his book and heading for the other room. "I thought I might light a fire, it's not as warm as yesterday. " He looked down at his feet, "If you were cold I mean. I know normal people feel the cold sooner than – than we do." It was strange that despite the slight that could have been intended with the words, it didn't sound like that was what Alec had meant. If anything, it sounded more like actual concern and an attempt to put himself into Logan's shoes.

Logan was puzzled, Alec seemed different and he couldn't quite work out why. All the bravado seemed to be absent this morning. Logan turned his attention to his breakfast, letting Alec leave as he contemplated the events of the morning so far. Once he'd finished, he washed the dishes and headed for the shower.

It was almost an hour later when he joined Alec in front of a well-built fire, finding an empty chair pulled up close in front of it, while Alec sat further back, curled back into the same armchair as yesterday, still devouring the book from that morning. Logan sat down with his own book, threw a quick thank you to Alec before settling in to start on his own reading.

He looked up a while later, surprised that Alec was still reading and not complaining of boredom, sure that he had heard both Max and Joshua lament Alec's lack of interest in anything other than the TV and his social life. Alec's face was pensive now as if the book was stirring something deeper within him and Logan wondered what he'd picked to read this time.

"What are you reading?" Curiosity pushed him to break the silence.

Alec shrugged, then said, "Frankenstein. Guess we know where Manticore's ideas came from." There was a sad resignation in his voice.

Logan was struck by the sad parallels between the two, but figured that as it was nothing they could do anything about, there was little point in dwelling. "Alec, it's too late to worry about where the ideas came from."

Alec nodded setting the book down and looking across at the other man as Logan said, "So I guess I should apologize for getting up so late. Do you want to play a board game or something to pass the time?"

"A bored game? I – I'm not bored, I'm good with the books. You don't have to amuse me, you know. I'm not a child," Alec's tone was defensive.

Logan smiled, "No, board game as in played on a board." He crossed to the cupboard and pulled out a few boxes, flicking the lid off one to hold up the board inside.

Alec looked interested enough for him to bring a few of the boxes across to the table. He rummaged through the boxes, coming up with Ludo and setting it up to play as he explained the rules to Alec. The two of them played, conversation drifting in and out as they debated what might have gone wrong with Max's bike and what Sketchy's latest off-beat idea might be. The game came to a close finish with Logan getting his pieces 'home' just ahead of Alec.

The transgenic smiled and nodded, then said, "Okay, what's next?" Logan lifted the other boxes back to the table and began to pick through them. "Stop!" Alec put his hand out. "You know how to play this one?"

"Yeah, chess. I can play chess. Do you know that game?"

Alec frowned, seeming to dip into his memories as if unsure before finally saying, "I – I think so. I think they taught me that, but . . ."

Alec looked up, catching sight of the confusion on Logan's face. He looked away again as he began to speak, "When they –" He swallowed nervously and started again, "When they re-indoctrinated, some – some stuff got lost. What they intended to get rid of and . . . some of the rest. . ." He waved a hand at the side of his head. "Some of it will come back with the right trigger. I think maybe I had to learn it for a job, but I'm not sure anymore. Maybe if you explained it to me?"

Logan couldn't imagine what that would feel like to have half-memories of things or to face the onslaught of memories triggered by something in passing, something that you could have no control over. "I'm sorry," he said. "That – that must be really difficult to live with."

Alec shrugged. "You going to show me then?" He set the board on the coffee table, moving it closer to Logan so he could stay sitting on the chair he was in. Alec then settled himself on the floor and began to sift through the pieces, toying with each one for a few minutes as if to see if something would come back to me. "Huh, sorry," he flushed when he realized that Logan was watching him.

Logan held up a piece. "This is a pawn. You have eight of those. They line up here and can move . . ." Alec's attention was focussed intently as Logan explained each of the pieces in turn and set them down in place. The game began slowly, Logan unsure whether he should explain more about possible moves and techniques, but as time passed it became clear that Alec was doing okay without any further explanation.

"It's about strategy and planning," Alec said quietly, about thirty minutes into the game.

"Yeah, outwitting your opponent," Logan agreed.

Alec's eyes sparkled and he said, "Well, in that case, I have something to prove. . ." with a broad smile, just ahead of moving his knight to take one of Logan's pawns.

It took Logan a moment to realize that it put the knight in a prime position to take his queen . He put his hand out to move the queen, suddenly realizing his options for moving it were limited. His options for moving his queen meant either moving into the line of another of Alec's pieces or sacrificing his queen. He settled for the most damage he could do on the way, taking out Alec's remaining bishop.

Alec smiled as he moved a knight over to take the queen and play continued apace for a few moves more until Alec had Logan's king surrounded. "Something tells me this game plays to your strengths," Logan said wryly.

Alec laughed, "I could go easy on you."

"No, we're good. We'll find something else, I'm sure, for me to redeem my pride."

* * *

><p>The day passed languorously, the heat from the fire in the cosy room, leaving them both lethargic. Alec moved to the window a few times, but even when the rain had stopped, he made no suggestion that they should think about leaving.<p>

As evening approached, Logan headed for the kitchen. Alec tried to cut him off, saying that he would cook, but Logan insisted it was his turn and Alec quickly ceded the point, but didn't leave the kitchen, instead perching himself on a stool at the breakfast bar to watch Logan's preparations. He asked a few questions as he watched Logan worked and Logan was again reminded of how narrow Alec's upbringing had been, how lacking in normality.

"You cooked okay yesterday," he said after a while. "How come the interest?"

Alec fidgeted for a moment as he seemed to be considering his answer. "I only know a few recipes. O.C. taught me a couple and some of the others I got off the back of packets, but . . . I just figured you wouldn't mind me asking and then I could try it another time."

"Oh, I don't mind you asking. You know there might be some cookbooks in my place. I could find them and you could have a look through for stuff you want to try."

"That'd be good. It's not a skill I really learnt in Manticore. Not my field."

"I'm sure. You know, Alec, I – Don't take this the wrong way, because it's really not a criticism, but until the last couple of days I never imagined you as much of a reader."

Alec snorted derisively. "The books here are more interesting than anything I've seen before. The only stuff we got to read in Manticore was military manuals or anything they felt was culturally appropriate for us going undercover. When everything happened with Rachel, they taught me to play the piano, but then they made me learn stuff about some of the composers. Some of it was interesting, most of it was just boring. I've never had the chance to pick something that I wanted to read before. For me, not for what someone else wanted me to know."

"It's hard to imagine what that's like," Logan sympathized.

"No, it's not. Just imagine no books. Start with that, you'll soon get the idea when the only time you can read something is because someone else put the book in front of you and told you which pages you had to read and they only did that because they wanted you to know something specific. I didn't know anything different. When I got out, I didn't know that there were so many different types of books. I should have figured it out after everything else they told us turned out to be so screwed up." Alec sighed then added, "Sorry, kind of depressing I guess. I just keep finding out more and more of what I thought was reality really wasn't. Nothing is like they said it was."

"No, I guess it isn't. You know . . . we didn't get off to the best start." He acknowledged Alec's cheeky grin with a wry smile of his own. "I'm man enough to admit that you're not as bad as I thought and maybe not all of the bad was entirely your own fault."

"Careful there, Logan. You might actually be going to say something nice about me!" Alec warned lightly.

"Can't have that! You know I thought this was going to be awful without Max here, but when you put your mind to it, you're not bad company and you're a whole heap quieter than I expected as well."

"Well, your torture might be over by morning," Alec said. "It's stopped raining and the sky looks clearer, so, if it doesn't rain between now and the morning, we could probably hit the road . . . if you want."

Logan looked up from the pan he was stirring as if considering what he was about to say carefully. "Alec, do you want to head back tomorrow? We could just check out the area. There's some walks and stuff we could do. We could head back down to the town and check out the local stores, pick up some more supplies and try out some more recipes. . ."

"Seriously . . . You're making fun of me," Alec sounded resigned.

"No, I'm not. I meant it and you know, while we're here, there isn't the stress or the expectations of what you need to be like." He met Alec's eyes for a moment and then added, "Or me, what I'm supposed to be like. No Eyes Only. Plenty of books here to keep us both amused. There's at least one cookbook, we could find something neither of us know how to make, then we're on equal footing."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea. It's kind of . . ." He seemed to reconsider what he was about to say before continuing, "Nice to be away from it all and not just be seen as a liability all the time – or Normal's Golden Boy!"

"Max doesn't think you're a liability i_all/i_ the time. If she did, she wouldn't want you to be the one accompanying her on jobs. I think maybe she's like me and she hasn't really considered just how difficult all the change must have been for you. You're pretty good at keeping up a front, you know. Maybe if you asked for help sometimes, then things wouldn't go so spectacularly wrong."

The atmosphere had changed between the two of them, a tenuous friendship was blossoming. With dinner over, Logan sat before the fire that Alec had built back up again, reading while Alec finished the washing and clearing up. He'd thought about staying in the kitchen to chat but Alec actually seemed to want a little time to process some of the things they'd discussed, some of the vulnerabilities he'd allowed to become exposed.

Logan found himself considering his own actions and how he hadn't always made it easy for Alec, quick to point out the fallibilities of the Transgenic and how he'd messed up again. It had taken these few days to really consider just how much Alec had had to adapt quickly and without proper guidance to living outside Manticore.

If he actually thought about the amount of support, training and preparation and the proximity of handlers any time Alec was outside on a mission and then compared it to the Transgenic, any Transgenic in truth, being abandoned by Manticore, hunted by White with nowhere to turn for the missing direction, the chasm between the two was huge. Max had not been the most understanding of his situation, both hers and Logan's own view tainted by the fact that Alec had been the one sent to help her escape and to track her when she carried the virus.

Yet Alec had been the one to find other Transgenics and get them jobs with Normal; Cece and Biggs were prime examples. Others he'd pointed in the direction of Max knowing she would have Logan find them somewhere to stay and a job to start them off. Alec had spent his whole life believing in the survival of the fittest, fighting for oneself and to get more than the people round him. Should it really have surprised any of them that with the upbringing he'd had, he still lived a greater portion of his life by those rules he'd learned so early?

The reality was that the Transgenic had made huge progress towards integrating and for the most part he'd done it himself or in reaction to the criticism from Max. There were still gaps in his knowledge and understanding that led him to make mistakes or to not know what other way there was of behaving. What examples did he have in truth?

Logan knew that in fact these last few days had been good for them both; they had achieved more friendship because the girls had never made it up to the cabin. Perhaps this was a case of things going wrong to work out for the better in the long run. Perhaps they could be friends after all.


End file.
